---
type: "Bill"
title: "To prohibit swatting"
description: "To prohibit swatting"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2024"
identifier: "HB 4845"
citation: "West Virginia HB 4845 (2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Crime"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Hillenbrand"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 40
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2024-01-17"
last_action: "2024-04-22"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/ce62c651-4b94-464c-87d6-439200261250"
source_url: "https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=4845&year=2024&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "5842f8e303656176acd44518effbe940881ade4edc2980c07c3d42125e34116d"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-wv"]
---

# West Virginia HB 4845 (2024) — To prohibit swatting

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb4845%20sub.htm&yr=2024&sesstype=RS&i=4845)
2. **Enrolled Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb4845%20sub%20enr.htm&yr=2024&sesstype=RS&i=4845)
3. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb4845%20intr.htm&yr=2024&sesstype=RS&i=4845)
4. **hb4845 s jud am _1 2-27 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2024/RS/com_amends/hb4845%20s%20jud%20am%20_1%202-27%20adopted.htm)
5. **hb4845 s jud amt _1 2-27 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2024/RS/com_amends/hb4845%20s%20jud%20amt%20_1%202-27%20adopted.htm)

## Votes

- PASSAGE — **98–0** (pass) · lower
- PASSAGE-SENATE AMENDED HB — **97–0** (pass) · lower
- Passage — **34–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Hillenbrand — primary (person)
- Brooks — cosponsor (person)
- Chiarelli — cosponsor (person)
- Hanshaw — cosponsor (person)
- Maynor — cosponsor (person)
- McGeehan — cosponsor (person)
- Phillips — cosponsor (person)
- Pritt, C. — cosponsor (person)
- Ridenour — cosponsor (person)
- Shamblin — cosponsor (person)
- Thorne — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2024-01-17** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2024-01-17** To Technology and Infrastructure then Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-17** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2024-01-17** To House Technology and Infrastructure `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-31** With amendment, do pass, but first to Judiciary `committee-passage`
- **2024-01-31** To House Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-06** By substitute, do pass
- **2024-02-07** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2024-02-07** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2024-02-08** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2024-02-08** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2024-02-09** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2024-02-09** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2024-02-09** Passed House (Roll No. 138) `passage`
- **2024-02-09** Communicated to Senate
- **2024-02-13** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2024-02-13** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-13** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-29** Reported do pass, with amendment and title amendment `committee-passage`
- **2024-02-29** Immediate consideration
- **2024-02-29** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2024-03-01** On 2nd reading
- **2024-03-01** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2024-03-01** Committee amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2024-03-04** On 3rd reading
- **2024-03-04** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2024-03-04** Passed Senate with amended title (Roll No. 336) `passage`
- **2024-03-04** Senate requests House to concur
- **2024-03-06** House received Senate message
- **2024-03-06** House concurred in Senate amendment and passed bill (Roll No. 490)
- **2024-03-06** Communicated to Senate
- **2024-03-06** Completed legislative action
- **2024-03-07** House Message received
- **2024-03-13** To Governor 3/13/2024 `executive-receipt`
- **2024-03-09** To Governor 3/13/2024 - House Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2024-03-09** To Governor 3/13/2024 - Senate Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2024-03-09** Approved by Governor 3/22/2024 - Senate Journal `executive-signature`
- **2024-03-22** Approved by Governor 3/22/2024 `executive-signature`
- **2024-03-09** Approved by Governor 3/22/2024 - House Journal `executive-signature`
- **2024-04-22** Chapter 87, Acts, Regular Session, 2024 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/ce62c651-4b94-464c-87d6-439200261250`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).